How many loaves do you have?

 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave them thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

- Mark 8:1-10

Yesterday we read that Jesus went to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, north of Galilee.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.   Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched His tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." 

  In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave them thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.   Matthew's and Mark's Gospels both tell us of this second feeding in the wilderness, in addition to the feeding of the five thousand men earlier.  And the texts make it very clear that these are both meant to be separate incidents (Jesus will refer back to both).  Of course there are similarities in both events.  Both have clear allusions to the Eucharist:  giving thanks, breaking the bread, to be distributed to the people by the disciples. Both are feedings in the wilderness.  But we should also look at the details that are different.  In the earlier miracle, there were five loaves, here there are seven.  My study bible says that five is symbolic of the Law.  Seven symbolizes completeness and here would indicate spiritual perfection.  These crowds have now been with Jesus and the disciples for three days, the number of days Jesus will rest in the tomb.  It indicates a participation in Christ's death, the Cross, and tells us about what it means to undergo spiritual transformation, and thus "perfection," completeness.  In the earlier feeding miracle, the crowd was clearly Jewish.  As we have been told in yesterday's reading that Jesus is now in the region of the Decapolis, this miracle may include both Gentiles and Jews -- symbolically, all the nations.

Jesus' healing of the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter, and the miracle of the deaf and mute man in the Decapolis from yesterday's reading combine to tell us something about the now further expanding nature of Christ's ministry.  His work and the miraculous occasions of healing have begun to expand outside of purely Jewish community, into the regions beyond.  That the "little dogs may eat of the children's crumbs" (said by the Syro-Phoenician woman in yesterday's reading) is a far more prescient statement than could be imagined from that reading alone.  Here in today's reading we're told of the "seven large baskets of leftover fragments" that will be taken into the whole world, completing the mission of Christ to all the nations, and indeed we know that "the little dogs" or puppies of this world who also beg to be fed will be nourished with the leftover "crumbs" from the children's table.  What it tells us is that with God's help and effect -- which we can't predict -- we just don't know what will be the outcome of acts done in faith.  I find the following dialogue central to the reading today.  The disciples ask, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  And Jesus' response is simply to ask them, "How many loaves do you have?"   Jesus always starts with whatever is available, whatever resources His disciples have on hand.  In fact, in tomorrow's reading He will chastise the disciples for mistakenly thinking He's upset because they haven't bought enough bread with them.  There is a tremendous lesson contained in this understanding that Jesus' emphasis is not all about advanced material preparation, but rather about the power of faith to take whatever it is we have on hand, and start there.  We seize the moment through faith; this is where we begin.  It also teaches us about time and patience.  None of the disciples know the results of what they have begun, this journey with Christ.  They could not possibly have imagined where the seeds of their faith would lead.  But the end isn't important here, especially in material terms.  It's the beginning that is important.  It's starting -- with Christ and with faith -- with whatever we have on hand, His way.  Jesus' actions take us out of purely material-based thinking, and into a place where we trust God.  It's like an adventure, not a mathematical calculation.   Wherever we are, we are "good enough" to just start -- with faith, with prayer.   God invests in us when we are opened up to dialogue and communion.  This applies to "who" we are as well.  We need not wait for some kind of "perfection" in our own sight.  We don't even have to have a self-invented game plan; along the way Christ may provide us with better goals than we start with on our own, better values, a better way to see what is of real worth.  There is always fertile ground to grow what we cannot begin to expect.  All He teaches us is persistence, faith, endurance, communion.  The parables of the Kingdom given to us in Mark's Gospel --  the Sower, the Mustard Seed, the farmer whose crops grew at night while he slept -- they all tell us this same thing.  Can we have the patience, and faith,  and courage to do things this way?

Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched His tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." 

- Mark 7:24-37

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many other such things you do."  When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"    When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from the outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  Jesus goes into Gentile territory.  In yesterday's reading, the Pharisees and scribes had come to Him, with their inquiries and criticism, looking to find fault.  Jesus clashes with them, criticizing in turn their emphasis on human institutions that don't uphold the Law, and speaking on what is truly defiling -- the evil things that come from the heart of a person.  Here He withdraws, again teaching us about the need for rest, even His own need.  But once again, He simply cannot be hidden.

 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."   Similar to Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue (see this reading), she cares deeply for her daughter and so comes to Christ to repeatedly plead for her.  The "little dogs" are house dogs, puppies.  In some sense, Jesus words -- the "children" are the Jews, "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" to whom He's first come -- emphasize the fact that He's attempted to withdraw for a time from His ministry, and come here to Gentile territory for rest.

 And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  The woman's persistence also reveals her humility.  She's willing to accept His "primary" ministry -- but in turn Christ accepts her because of her great faith (in persistence) and humility, which He has drawn out of her.  In Matthew's Gospel, it's the disciples who are tired of her repeated requests; in some sense this is a way to display to them her faith before Jesus' eventually acceptance.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched His tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  The Decapolis is a region that is a center of Greek and Roman culture in among a Semitic people, so it is a place of mixed populations.  Jesus gives an example of liberation from affliction and bindings, in the "loosing" of this man's tongue, and in his freedom to hear.  Thinking about these two afflictions, one can see how they both isolate people from community, from dialogue.   This is linked to the news that can't be suppressed, those who are commanded by Jesus to tell no one, but instead all the more widely proclaim it.  The commentator Theophylact upholds their example, saying that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to.

Jesus' words to the Syro-Phoenician woman truly sound like a shocking insult.  I do believe it's important that we note that "little dog" is not the same word that would be commonly used for an insult; it indicates puppies, house dogs, such as would be begging at table.  But it reminds me about challenges in life:  what He's said has actually brought out and revealed what was truly in her -- both her faith, and her humility.  My study bible calls it a means of revealing her virtues both to herself and to the disciples.  She points the way to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church.  What I like in particular is Christ's appreciation of her persistence, and if you will allow me to say so as a complement, her "doggedness"  -- her feisty and witty reply to Him.  He rewards her for her willingness to engage, and not simply walk away in seeming resignation to His words.  He's also, importantly, rewarding her for standing up for herself, her daughter's cause.  To me, this is another facet of Christ who goes beyond the customs of His time in His appreciation and acceptance of women.   According to those customs,  they should not be speaking at all.  Instead, He actually rewards her for her reply ("for this saying"), effectively praising her willingness to continue to engage, for using her wit and meeting the challenge of faith with resourcefulness and persistence, a true desire for dialogue.  The second miracle of the healing of the man who is both deaf and mute enforces the aspect of the creation of community and communion by dialogue; as Creator He frees both  this woman and the deaf and mute man in the same sense of liberation from restrictions of dialogue and communion.  The story of the Syro-Phoenician woman is an invaluable lesson about how challenges can bring out what we have inside of ourselves, encouraging creativity, resourcefulness, and persistence we didn't know we had.  They bring out virtues, as my study bible points out, that we might need to appreciate and recognize as part of our own development, particularly our spiritual development.  I think the whole of the Bible calls us to see things in this light, teaching us to meet challenges with faith, with God.  Challenges can teach us our own limits that we need to recognize, and they can give us an opportunity to stretch in ways we didn't know.  Self-knowledge is an invaluable thing.  Jesus' interaction with this woman teaches us also that faith works to give us true confidence of a kind that is not self-centered, but based in God's drawing out and expanding character traits and virtues for us to see and understand.  Let us also remember dialogue with our Creator.  God's loves our engagement, not our isolation.   What has often been called the "struggle for faith" is done so in a very positive way.  Meeting challenges, with God, is a way of life that offers us so much more than we think or know.

There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

'This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."

He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many other such things you do."

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"    When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from the outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

- Mark 7:1-23

Yesterday, we read that when evening came, the boat carrying the disciples was in the middle of the sea; and Jesus was alone on the land, where He had remained behind to pray (see Thursday's reading).  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many other such things you do."   At issue here is conflict between the "traditions of men" (that is, traditions built up in interpretations of the Law) and the Law itself, the commandments given to Moses.  Jesus is saying that these are in conflict, and that the religious leadership prefers these precepts developed in the "tradition of the elders" over the Law itself.   The Pharisees and scribes held these traditions to be as authoritative as the Law, and in fact in practice they could supersede it.   Jesus gives the example of Corban, an offering promised to God in a way that allowed property or earnings to be used by the owner, but no one else could thereby use them, including parents.  My study bible says, "Secondary traditions such as this obscure the primary tradition of the Law, which is contained in God's commandments."  The implication of Christ is clear:  the human traditions are used in contradiction to God's commands.  In this example, the tradition clearly emphasizes the human flaws of greed and selfishness, rather than the commandments which uphold community.   The tradition has distanced people from God.

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"    When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from the outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."   My study bible says, "Food cannot defile a person because it is created by God and is therefore pure.  Evil things [which Jesus names here] are not from God, and these are what defile a person."

It's an essential part of Christian heritage for us to understand what Christ is saying here, and what my study bible says about things that are created by God.  We have to recall the time when Christianity was founded, particularly in the context of the varied philosophies and practices of the time based on the idea that all "matter" was base, and it was "spirit" that was good.  The bible talks about what is worldly, and the things of the "flesh," not to indicate that the things of the body are base or bad -- but rather to teach us about a life where the only thing we consider is the body separate from God.  The distinction is between a purely materialistic perception, and one that is "whole," if you will; that is,  a life in which communion and community involve God in all things.  It is in this sense of wholeness and healing that the things which are created by God are good:  everything is made for glory.  This is the traditional teaching of the Church.  Christ's healing ministry, even His very presence in the world as incarnate human being, gives us exactly what wholeness is:  God with us.  His very incarnation teaches us about the essential goodness of the body and the things necessary for human life, even all things created by God, as my study bible puts it.  There is no division between spirit and matter in this point of view; there is only the danger of focus only on the material and excluding God from the full picture of our lives, our communities, our relationships, and all the rest of the things we do with our lives.  In this sense, true wholeness is right-relatedness, righteousness, with God -- Father, Son, and Spirit -- as mediator for all things.  It is interesting to look at the word that is translated as defile.  It literally means to "make common."  But its root is the same one that we use for "communion."  What it indicates is the stripping away of holiness, the taking away of God, making "profane" instead of sacred.  In Jesus' point of view, all these things that go into the mouth are created by God, and therefore cannot defile.  But what defiles is what we create that is not of God, out of "synch" with God's creation and creativity that is also within us and a part of our own capacity for creativity.  In this picture, we have capacity for what is good, and for what is not good, outside of the life that God calls us to, outside of communion with God.  And in this sense of things, both examples in today's reading, as given by Jesus, tie together.  We can use our possessions for good, to support life and true communion, as we are called by God to do.  Or they can be used for ill, to destroy the kind of relatedness that the commands given to Moses were meant to uphold.  There is a false dichotomy, in this given picture, between matter and spirit.  If we are really to understand Christianity, it is important that we see that.  The real conflict is between a life without God, and a life with God -- and we remember this includes the mysterious working of the Spirit in our midst, something we can't see or predict, but whose effects we know (John 3:8).  We have taught to us what many of these effects are:  "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  What we need for human life, a life lived in the joy of communion with God -- such as the fruits of the Spirit -- is all essentially good.  Jesus will be criticized time and again for the way His disciples enjoy life with Him, for the way in which He upholds life.  He is the One who made water into wine for a wedding feast.  Let us try to remember what it is that defiles, and what it is that makes truly holy.  Our goal as faithful is to be at that wedding feast of joy, true union with the Bridegroom.  It is what strips that joy from life that truly defiles.

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

- Mark 6:47-56

Yesterday, we read that having returned from their first mission, the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

  Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  We remember that Jesus has stayed behind for solitary prayer after dark on the mountaintop.  But somehow He sees the disciples straining at rowing on the sea.  The Gospel gives us another hint to Jesus' divinity, how His disciples are in His sight wherever they may be.

Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  The fourth watch of the night is about 3 o'clock in the morning.  One can imagine the impression made on the disciples!  Jesus' command, to be of good cheer, is really about courage or confidence in the Greek.  This story gives us several divine attributes of Christ:  His all-seeing capacity regarding His disciples, defying the elements by walking on the water, and the ceasing of the elements of the storm.   We're given the hint that the disciples' hearts have been hardened to the apprehension of these capacities of Christ; they hadn't understood about the bread in the wilderness (see yesterday's reading, above).  The hardening of the heart is a kind state of denial, an unwillingness or inability to take in or be aware of something.  My study bible tells us that knowing Christ, as a matter of the heart, is not merely an intellectual process.  It says, "When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive His presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is known as the 'seat of knowledge.'"

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.  I find it really interesting that this healing happens in the marketplaces.  The ultimate offering of Christ is healing; everything in His divine capacity works for healing; grace is healing.  It's like the environment of the marketplace in this story offers substitution for our usual material way of thinking, so that we see what Christ has brought.  The "exchange" in this marketplace is our brokenness for His healing.  Again, the divine qualities of Christ are available here for all.  My study bible says that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving.  It is also telling us of the faith now in these many who come to him.

I think that probably there has been a great deal of commentary on Jesus' statement "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   What is translated as "good cheer" is from a word that means to "take courage" or to be emboldened, infused with energy (for a mission or task), to take heart.  There is a kind of confidence in faith that is inexplicable.  We can see it in the Mary, the Mother of God, who takes up a challenge in faith when she is presented with the good news of the Annunciation.  We can see it grow in these apostles or disciples to whom Jesus has said these words.  They've just gone out on their first apostolic mission.  There will be, as we know, many more, in growing conditions of change, of hostility and strangeness, and of course in the mission of the Church that will continue after Christ's Ascension, and after Pentecost.  But this is where we stop to really think hard about our faith.  How does grace fill us with a kind of courage or resolution that doesn't really make a lot of sense?  How does our faith give us confidence we don't have otherwise?  I don't think we can explain these mysteries.  I don't think they happen through a mere intellectual process.  Christ's assuring presence in "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid" is like His presence in prayer.  We don't pray in a monologue; prayer is a dialogue.  God is with us; we speak and we also must listen, even when there is a silence which is not empty, but full.  We open our hearts for this; what we understand or grasp is with the full center of our being, not just an intellectual process.  Thus, the "hardness" of the apostles' hearts is battered with His presence on the water and in their boat.  Faith is that heart-emboldening, warming thing that happens when grace meets our capacity to grasp and to take in, to comprehend.  We go back to the mystical teaching at the beginning of John's Gospel to think further about this mystery of the heart:  "The light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it"  (John 1:5).   This word, comprehend, is a good translation from the Greek.  It's a word that means both to understand, and to take in.  Knocking at the door of our hearts is the presence and mystery of Jesus Christ, fully God who has also been fully human.  We need our hearts to take Him in, to understand, to embrace the grace that offers us the inexplicable in ourselves:  courage to do the things He calls us to do, a capacity for forgiveness we might not have known we have, an understanding of love and the courage to live in an expanding truth.  These are the realities of the heart to which Christ calls when He says to be of good cheer, to be bold, to have courage, strength, confidence -- faith, if you will.  They are words for all of us all the time, more powerful with experience, perhaps particularly so in the early hours of darkness before dawn.

They were like sheep not having a shepherd

 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

- Mark 6:30-46

Yesterday, we read that the twelve apostles, in their first mission,  cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Now King Herod heard of Jesus, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.   It is interesting to note the role that "rest" plays in the Gospels.  Jesus is the one who has taught us, in Mark's Gospel, that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."  His whole ministry has emphasized healing.  Rest is an essential part of our wholeness, our healing.  My study bible says that Christ shows that those engaged in preaching and teaching must not labor continuously, but also must take rest.  A balanced life is perhaps the whole point of the gospel message of the Kingdom:  we must not neglect that which truly makes us "whole."

But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.   The text also once again gives us a sense of just how popular Jesus' ministry has grown, how frantically people chase after Him.

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  It's interesting to note how Jesus is always willing to accommodate whatever circumstances arrive.  He has come for rest, but He's moved with compassion, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.   It's also important to note that the very first thing He offers in His compassion is His teaching.  This is what they truly need.

When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  This feeding miracle is in all the Gospels.  The text notes five thousand men (a contemporary way of calculation), and we can assume that there were more women and children.  Symbolically, the twelve remaining baskets are left for the twelve apostles, to take to all the world.  But what's the substance here?  There's a clear reference to and prefiguring of the Eucharist.  The loaves and blessed, and distributed by the disciples.  Fish are symbols of abundance; there will be enough for the world.

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.  Again, there is a theme of rest and of nurturing.  Jesus sends the crowds away, and sends His disciples back to Bethsaida, in the home territory of His ministry.  But He remains on the mountain to pray.  Jesus does not neglect His own true needs.  This is where His guidance for His ministry is going to be, where He is truly "fed" for His work.  It is the kind of retreat we must all need consider.  

It's a beautiful thing to see the progression of what Jesus does.  He first tries to get away with His apostles, to a place where they can rest and presumably discuss their first mission from which they've just returned.  But the people follow, and He's moved with compassion for their state.  The description we're given, that the people are like sheep not having a shepherd, tells us so much.  There's a sense of bewilderment described here, and of great need.  Jesus feeds them what they need first:  His teaching.  When the time comes for rest and food, He does not send them away but rather continues to feed them, this time with literal food, but also with much more.  In the prefiguring of the Eucharist, we are given the sense of what our true food is:  Christ.   When we pray the Lord's Prayer, and to "give us this day our daily bread," the translation from the Greek isn't absolutely complete.  That's because the word that is translated as "daily" means more than that; literally it can be rendered "super-substantial."  I have read one beautiful commentary that explains it as the bread of the new day of the Kingdom.  This bread given by Christ, miraculously expanded and extended, blessed, and distributed by the disciples, is like Christ Himself, and it is a picture of the Eucharist:  it is bread, made of the elements of our lives and the world, it nourishes our bodies, but it also nourishes all the rest of what we are.  Christ will call Himself the "bread of life."  It reminds us that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"  (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3).  We remember that He is the Word.   Our lives are to be whole, not partial, and not depleted.  This bread of the new day of the Kingdom is something that is meant to feed all of what we are, just as Jesus "feeds" these sheep without a shepherd by His teaching.  His sharing of His word with them is the result of His compassion.  What we can take from all the elements of today's reading is the tie in with rest and true nurturing.  Let us never forget all that we truly need.

John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him

 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

- Mark 6:13-29

Yesterday, we read that Jesus came to His own country, the town of Nazareth, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts - but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.   Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  The first lines of the reading set the scene for a "flashback" of King Herod.  This is Herod Antipas, technically governor of Galilee, son of Herod the Great (who slew the infants in Bethlehem in Matthew 2:16).  Jesus has just sent out His twelve apostles on their first mission.  His ministry is expanding, including the power that He has shared with the apostles to heal, to cast out demons, and to preach repentance.  Jesus' expanding fame makes Him well known, and He has come to the attention of the king.

And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.   Again, the Gospel testifies to the reputation now of Jesus:  some call Him the Prophet (a Messiah-like figure predicted by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15), and some say Christ is Elijah (who was prophesied to return, working signs and wonders before the coming of the Lord, in Malachi 4:5).   The king fears that John the Baptist has come back from the dead.  My study bible points out that while John worked no miracles in his ministry, the king fears that John now has powers at work in him because he has risen from the dead.   Therefore, he fears John more dead than alive.  Here the Gospel gives us the story of John's death at the hands of Herod.  Herod had divorced his wife in order to marry his brother's wife Herodias.  The fact that his brother was still living at the time made the arrangement unlawful to the Jews (a Roman woman could divorce her husband, but a Jewish woman could not -- only a man could initiate divorce).   John the Baptist spoke out against the unlawful character of the marriage, angering Herodias who wishes to kill the Baptist.  We can see for ourselves the corrupt quality of the house of Herod.  But Herod is fascinated by John, as he will later be fascinated by Jesus.  He knows that John is a holy man, and enjoys hearing him.

 Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.   We're given the story that explains Herod's fear that John has risen from the dead.  It is a story about the exigencies of power.  Herod knows John to be a holy man.  He doesn't want to kill him; he is exceedingly sorry.   It's also a story about the wisdom in Christ's forbidding the swearing of oaths; a rash promise has now trapped Herod before all the nobles, high officers, and chief men of Galilee.  And we're taught about corruption in the telling, how a road we've chosen can trap us into something that we know is wrong, even as we comply.

What is corruption?  I think it's a question that today's text asks us to consider.  If we look at the family of Herod, we see great corruption.  His father, Herod the Great, was known also as Herod the Builder.  He was responsible for the embellishments of the Temple that made it one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  But he was also known for his extreme ruthlessness.  Scheming for power within this dynasty meant plotting murders of family members, including children and parents.  Although Antipas is nominally Jewish (his father Herod was the son of a convert), he is not considered by those whom he rules to be truly one of them.  Into this context comes John the Baptist, who condemns the unlawful marriage.   Herod Antipas is a governor for Rome.  Although popularly called "king," he serves Roman rule.  Perhaps we have to look more closely at the ways in which power is used to understand what corruption is.  In the end, it seems to come down to what we truly choose to worship.   Power and position are very persuasive ends in a social context.  The whole world seems to structure social order as all that there is, and so the immediate "good" seems to be a place of power or position to covet.  This is seemingly what the world offers as the ultimate good, no matter what the "currency" may be, whatever that highest place of authority is.  Christ's ministry calls us out of this "worldly" picture, and to a different sort of adherence to a goal, to worship.  To worship God is not to simply follow what the social order offers.  God takes us outside of the worldly picture, into a different set of goals, a higher order of worship.  When Herod swears an oath before all the important and leading people of Galilee (the region he rules), he is in some sense putting all of his faith in these human positions, their rank and authority in his kingdom.  He is ignoring the higher authority of what he truly knows, that John the Baptist is a holy man.  And that's our picture of corruption.  It's a failure to put worship in its rightful place, to give God what is God's.  Jesus comes into the world with a ministry calling all attention to God -- repentance and the gospel of the Kingdom as the focus He calls us toward.  Everything about Christ's ministry is in conflict with a worldly sort of power.  His apostles go out on their first mission in total humility:  without money, staying in the first place they're offered, and merely shaking the dust off their feet in testimony against the places where their message is rejected.  As Messiah, He does not come as worldly king, does not amass an army, but rides "triumphantly" into Jerusalem on a donkey.  This is the way He calls us out of the usual desires and demands for worldly power, and His power works to heal, to cast out demons which afflict and oppress.   Those who will truly oppose Him and send Him to His death are those who resent His authority and His criticism and His threat to their places of leadership.  Let us consider carefully what we worship, what we place as our highest goal.  It is a good check on our choices.   Corruption is no less than placing other gods before us, and there are so many, myriad ways that we can do that.   We are fooled if we think that is always obvious, or that we don't need constant grace, humility, awareness, and discernment to see it.  There is a hint given here in the accompanying fear that Herod experiences that John the Baptist is risen from the dead, with great power accompanying him.  Our confidence in God is a confidence in God's love, that we will find God's way through all things the world presents to us.  Let us always be aware of the choice.

They were offended at Him

 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts - but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. 

- Mark 6:1-13

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to His ministry's "home territory" after being in the country of the Gadarenes, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given for her to eat.

 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.   My study bible points out that the double response of being both astonished and offended occurs frequently with those who encounter Christ.  Many times we don't encounter the understanding that the Gospels teach us about the rejection of prophets among "their own," or particularly the kinds of rejection suffered by Jesus in this sort of social setting.  And yet, this is so central to the Gospels that all four Gospels report Jesus' teaching that "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  (See John 4:44, Matthew 13:57, Luke 4:24, Mark 6:4.)  It's interesting that we are to understand the social realities of what is happening here.  These fellow villages who have known Him all of His life are offended that somehow these divine words of great authority are coming from Him.  Who does He think He is?  And where did He get this?   We note that Jesus can do no great works here, without faith that makes the connection to His power (see especially yesterday's reading above, and the touch of the faithful woman with the bloodflow).   We don't always see the Lord "marveling" or wondering, awestruck at a response to His ministry, but that's what we read here.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts - but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Jesus' responses are always interesting at new turning points in His ministry.  Just after rejection in His hometown, among "His own," Jesus sends out the disciples.  They are now apostles.  Disciple means "learner," while apostle is "one who is sent out."  We note the great humility involved in this mission:  no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts.  They are to wear sandals, and one tunic.   To stay in one place until they depart means not to "trade up" for better accommodations, but to respect those who first welcome them.  Although they are sent out with power -- over unclean spirits, and to heal the sick.  The first thing they do, however, is to preach repentance.  But to those who reject them they are simply to shake off the dust under their feet as testimony against them.  Testimony, witnessing is important and central to the mission of Christ; it is a reflection of the Judgment in His return at the end of the age -- and our faith in His justice.

It's interesting and important to tie in Christ's Return to His mission.  Everything is preparation and prelude for that.   Judgment plays an important role right from the beginning.  Everything is all about how people respond to Christ and His gospel message, the gospel of the Kingdom.  In that context, we can examine human responses here within the social contexts presented to us in the Gospels.  One case in point is just this visit to His hometown of Nazareth, and how He's responded to there.  The fact that it's mentioned in each of the Gospels that a prophet is not without honor except in His own town, His own country, His own people, makes it a very significant pronouncement, something we can't afford to ignore.  It seems to teach us a lot about what we are used to, the conditions we accept as normal.  If we look at the Old Testament, we see that the prophets played this role of speaking out in the midst of the status quo, shaking people out of complacency with the certainties they knew or understood, and business as usual -- particularly when it comes to power, practices that are forms of corruption.  These come, in the Old Testament, on religious and spiritual terms as well as material, and Christ, although Messiah, plays a prophetic role in His ministry as well.  What we observe is the work of God, always opening up new grounds for us, re-establishing God's truths, and expanding them, in the same sense in which Christ is not the abolisher but rather the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).  What God does is to continually expand and challenge us.  Repentance is a process of breaking us out of our complacency with what we think we know, how we've "always done it," what we have accepted without questioning ourselves.  That is why it is so central to this ministry, to the preaching of the apostles on their first mission.  Jesus' criticisms of the religious establishment will come not against the Law itself, but rather against the traditions that have been built up around the Law, those human institutions that wind up obstructing the purpose of the Law in the first place, God's intentions.  In that context, we can also see the "human institution" of the society in Jesus' hometown:  they know who He is, they know who His family is, and He's breaking up their understanding of what's what, the social order, the way things have always been done.  Revelation works like that; it asks us for repentance (or "change of mind" as the word literally means) so that we come closer to God.  It shakes us out of our fixed ways of thinking and doing things.  This is the way repentance must always work.  But God's work -- the work of Father, Son, and Spirit -- comes in support of something.  The ministry of Christ comes to prepare us for His Return and His Judgment.  It initiates the "end times," and if we truly understand the whole history of the Church, we have to understand that this is the time we've been in since His ministry, since He promised His Return and Judgment.  In that sense, repentance becomes central.  It's all about how we receive His message, and if we're capable of opening up to the change that might be necessary to become closer to Him.  His power does not work by coercion; these are peaceful apostles, not warriors who work vengeance.  Everything is left to the Judgment and offered with open hands, in great humility, and from God's love.  The question is, do we have ears to hear this message, and hearts to receive it and take it seriously?